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Pope Francis landed in Iraq on Friday for a historic tour of the war-ravaged nation, where he met with members of the country's dwindling Christian community and aimed to draw attention to their plight.

It was the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Pope Francis' first trip outside Italy since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. He and his entourage have all been vaccinated.

"This is a symbolic trip. It's a duty," the Pope told journalists traveling with him on the papal plane. "It has been a martyred land for too long."

The Pope speaks to journalists during his return flight to the Vatican on Monday.

Yara Nardi/AP

Iraqi President Barham Salih and his wife, Sarbagh, escort the Pope to his plane during his departure ceremony at Baghdad International Airport.

Vatican Media/Abaca/Sipa USA

People attend the Pope's prayer in Mosul on Sunday. ISIS controlled the city between 2014 and 2017.

Abdullah Rashid/Reuters

Children in Mosul wave national flags Sunday near the ruins of al-Tahira-l-Kubra, the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images

Children meet with Pope Francis at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, on Sunday.

Andrew Medichini/AP

Francis arrives to officiate Mass with other priests in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday.

Andrew Medichini/AP

The Pope meets with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf, Iraq, on Saturday. <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2021%2F03%2F06%2Fmiddleeast%2Fpope-francis-nayaf-grand-ayatollah-intl-hnk%2Findex.html" target="_blank">The 45-minute meeting</a> with the 90-year old al-Sistani -- who rarely appears in public -- represented one of the most significant summits in recent years between a pope and a leading Shia Muslim figure.

The Pope meets with Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in Najaf, Iraq, on Saturday. The 45-minute meeting with the 90-year old al-Sistani -- who rarely appears in public -- represented one of the most significant summits in recent years between a pope and a leading Shia Muslim figure.

Vatican Media/AP

Women wait outside the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baghdad.

Andrew Medichini/AP

The Pope is welcomed at Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Friday.

Ayman Henna/Iraqiya TV/AFP/Getty Images

The Pope leaves a Baghdad church, Our Lady of Salvation, on Friday. The church was the site of <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcnn.com%2F2021%2F03%2F04%2Fmiddleeast%2Firaq-pope-christians-intl%2Findex.html" target="_blank">a massacre in 2010.</a>

The Pope leaves a Baghdad church, Our Lady of Salvation, on Friday. The church was the site of a massacre in 2010.

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Francis delivers his speech at Our Lady of Salvation. "We are gathered in this Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the ultimate price of their fidelity to the Lord and his Church," the pontiff said.

Andrew Medichini/AP